11 February, 2017

Nine young children killed: the full details of the botched US raid in Yemen

Despite
the growing reports of failure – and despite the death of a Navy
SEAL, and the destruction of a $70 million Osprey aircraft –
Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer has continued to insist that
the mission was a “successful operation by all standards.”

by
Namir Shabibi and Nasser al Sane

Part
1

Planned for
months, it was decided over dinner.

The raid on
a village in rural Yemen reportedly aimed to capture or kill one of
the world’s most dangerous terrorists and deliver a stinging blow
to al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula (AQAP), a militant network the US
had been trying to dismantle for more than a decade. The collection
of small brick houses in Yemen’s dusty central region was home to
civilian families as well as militants and was heavily-guarded,
meaning a precise, well-practiced operation was paramount. Intense
surveillance was carried out for weeks, rehearsals took place in
Djibouti, and Navy SEALS awaited the go-ahead from their
commander-in-chief. It came just five days after President Donald
Trump took office.

But as the
elite team descended under the cover of darkness, what could have
been the first major victory for the new administration in its
renewed mission to defeat radical Islam quickly went dreadfully
wrong.

As cover was
blown, enemy fire returned and contingency plans failed, tragedy
unfolded on all sides.

It is
already known that 8-year-old Nawar al Awlaki, the daughter of al
Qaeda propagandist Anwar al Awlaki was among those who died in the
attack. But following a field investigation, the Bureau can today
reveal that nine children under the age of 13 were killed and five
were wounded in the raid in al Bayda province on January 29.

Details
emerged piecemeal last week regarding civilian and military deaths,
the disputed value of the targets and deficiencies in planning –
some of the information coming from military sources in unprecedented
briefings against its own administration. Insiders told CNN and NBC
that the ultimate target was AQAP leader Qasim al Raymi. If the
soldiers didn’t find him in the village they hoped they would find
clues as to his location.

But despite
the growing reports of failure – and despite the death of Navy SEAL
Chief Petty Officer William Owens and the destruction of a $70
million Osprey aircraft – Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer has
continued to insist that the mission was a “successful operation
by all standards.”

Evidence
gathered by the Bureau must surely challenge that assessment. A
fierce gunfight turned into an intense aerial bombardment, and the
outcome “turned out to be as bad as one can imagine it being,”
said former US ambassador to Yemen Stephen Seche.

Working with
a journalist who visited the targeted village of al Yakla five days
after the raid and talked to nine of the survivors, we have collected
the names and ages of all 25 civilians killed as reported by those
who live there. The Bureau also has photos of the families hit and
the homes destroyed as helicopter gunship fire rained down.

AQAP say 14
“of its men” were killed in the clash, including six
villagers. The youngest was 17, the oldest 80.

The
villagers say 25 civilians died alongside a group of militants,
including nine children under the age of 13. They deny that any of
the dead villagers were AQAP members. Of the nine young children who
died, the smallest was only three months old. Eight women were
killed, including one who was heavily pregnant. Seven more women and
children were injured.

There is
fury at the US for what the villagers say was yet another example of
disregard for civilian life in the pursuit of terror.

“It is
true they were targeting al Qaeda but why did they have to kill
children and women and elderly people?” said Zabnallah Saif al
Ameri, who lost nine members of his extended family, five of whom
were children. “If such slaughter happened in their country,
there would be a lot of shouting about human rights. When our
children are killed, they are quiet.”

Villagers
described chaos, with people shot as they attempted to flee the gun
battle before helicopters opened fire.

“They
killed men, children and women and destroyed houses,” said
Mohsina Mabkhout al Ameri, who lost her brother, nephew and three of
her nephew’s children. “We are normal people and have nothing
to do with al Qaeda or [Yemeni rebel movement] the Houthis or anyone.
The men came from America, got off the planes and the planes bombed
us.”